By Isabelle Shee, CFO of GROW and 1/2 of @sheesistersdigital creators specializing in golf and lifestyle.
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As you’ve probably heard, TikTok is currently at risk of a US ban again. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and more than 30 creators recently flew to Washington DC to speak on behalf of the platform.
Whether it’s your primary marketing channel or not, the idea can be frustrating for creators who have invested time and energy into building an audience and platform on TikTok.
I’m a firm believer that almost any negative event has a silver lining, and sometimes we just need a fresh perspective. On that note, here are four ways to get around a possible TikTok ban in the US, but more importantly, future-proof your social media presence when it comes to any platform.
1. Drive your TikTok followers to other platforms
We should always drive our followers to our different accounts and create curated content for each platform, but let’s be real: it’s a lot of work and sometimes we want to have a life outside of content creation.
What many of us are guilty of doing is spending all our efforts on a killer reel and posting it on TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and calling it quits. This is a big short-term gain because the content is likely to be more engaged, but it has a long-term effect because it doesn’t incentivize followers to follow your different platforms.
This could be a good wake-up call to start driving your TikTok followers to your other platforms like Instagram and YouTube Shorts. One way I recommend is to run some contest on TikTok and encourage followers to follow your other accounts to enter the contest.
2. Use a VPN to expand your audience demographic
A TikTok ban in the US would mean that most US users would no longer be able to access TikTok. However, there are still countries that have not banned TikTok to the public. Right now could be a great opportunity to use a VPN and grow an international audience outside of the US.
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is an encrypted connection to the Internet that hides your IP address and physical location. For example, if you want to increase your audience in London, you should enable your VPN to show you are connecting from London, so the algorithm will be more likely to show your content for that “local” area “. I’ve personally used ExpressVPN, but there are many other great options like NordVPN and Surfshark, just to name a few.
3. Solidify your presence outside of social media
Maybe it’s a good time to start thinking about what life is like outside of social media. If any of our social platforms were to be wiped one day, what would your social footprint be? Would it seem like you never existed? Or would you still have news articles, personal websites, or television appearances that exist outside of your social platforms?
It might be time to start investing in a bigger PR strategy and use an updated business plan that includes things like TV appearances to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket.
From YouTubers who launched their own fashion lines from the platform to TikTokers who used their social media fame to land film roles, there are many ways to use social media to launch- se to other visibility areas.
4. Keep your eyes peeled for the next video platform
With all the negative press on TikTok, I have a feeling a new short-form video platform will be coming out of the woodwork soon, so keep your eyes and ears open for what could be the next TikTok. As we know, it is a huge advantage to be early in a booming channel. I will also be on the lookout and share what I find.
While we know this news cycle has been exhausting and you may feel helpless and out of control, this is a good reminder to take back our power to create our own destiny. At the end of the day, we should see these social platforms as stepping stones to our careers, goals and aspirations. Keep your head up, we’re all in this together.
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Social media channels have become essential for creative professionals to promote their work and engage with their audience. However, at times, creators can experience frustration if their posts are not seen by their target audiences. Ikaroa, a leading full-stack tech company, suggests four things creators can do when social media channels fail.
First and foremost, creators need to assess why their posts are not resonating as expected on social media platforms. This process requires gathering insights from analytics, considering factors such as the most suitable time of day to post, and analyzing the current performance of any running social media campaigns. Strategizing in this manner might increase the visibility of posts and therefore augment the desired results.
Second, creators should make sure that their social media accounts are active and vibrant. This can be done by promoting work posts through other channels, such as email newsletters and webinars, and by offering exclusive content that isn’t available on other channels. Additionally, they should create interactive content such as Q&A sessions, polls, and surveys to better engage with their followers.
Third, creators should repurpose existing content, curate fresh content, and make use of trends. Repurposing current content, such as webinars or videos in the form of podcasts, can help maintain a buzz around their work. Similarly, curating articles related to their industry is an effective way to show knowledge and expertise. And, taking advantage of the trending posts on specific social media platforms allows creators to get ahead of their competitors.
Finally, Ikaroa reveals that diversifying cross-platform posting is another great way to overcome social media platform failure. This means experimenting with various social media channels and understanding the followers on each. For instance, a creator can establish presence on alternative platforms like Reddit, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, which have different target demographics and can yield results in terms of engagements, customer conversions, and sales.
By following these strategies, creators can bridge the gap between their work and relevant audiences and make social media channels work for them.
